No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

    If you are a fan of Nutella, you'll like this decadent dessert.  I've never tried making Brownies with bananas before but now that I've this recipe, I will have another option what to do with over ripe bananas, other than making muffins or banana bread.  These chocolatey Brownies are soft, texture is a bit cake like and can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days and they do taste better, when chilled. You can make this yummy dessert to serve to your family and friends after a hearty X'mas eve dinner. Banana Nutella Brownies  ~    榛子酱香蕉布朗尼    Ingredients 2 bananas about 300 gm 130 gm oil 150 gm light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 95 gm plain flour 40 gm chocolate chips 25 gm cocoa powder 1/8 tsp seasalt 135 gm nutella Method Prepare a parchment lined 8 x 8 inch square pan. Mash the bananas, add sugar, oil and vanilla.  Whisk till well combined. Sift in flour, salt and cocoa powder and mix in the chocolate chips.  Whisk till fully well combined. Pour the mixture int

  I'm a fan of beancurd skin be it fresh or deepfried.   Bought this from the wet market where it is available at the stall selling beancurds and soy products of all sorts.   I didn't deep fry this as recommended by the seller, just panfried till it's crispy and as it's bland on its own, so had to cook this in a sauce to let it infuse into the beancurd skin.  You can also cook this with a sweet and sour sauce whereby it will taste better if it's deepfried. Braised fresh beancurd skin/Tau Pau with black beans   ~    黑豆焖腐竹云耳 Ingredients 6 pieces fresh beancurd skin 20 dried cloud ears 2 tsp black beans 1 tsp oyster sauce 1/4 tsp sugar 3 cloves garlic, chopped Broccoli 1.1/2 tsp cornflour +  1 Tbsp water Method Soak the cloud ears till soft, snip off the hard part of the fungus. Pan fry the beancurd skin till crispy.  Dish out and set aside. Saute the garlic till fragrant, add in the black beans, followed by the cloud ears.  Stir-fry. Add in some water and oyster sauce

 I must admit that I love chiffon cakes and if you have been following my blog, you will notice that I have blogged many chiffon cake recipes.  Chiffon cakes are light and refreshing and they do stay soft and moist even after a few days stored in the refrigertor.   A plus point is that my family members do not get bored with chiffon cakes for they love them as much as I do! Cocoa Nutella Chiffon Cake ~  可可榛子酱 戚风蛋糕   (adapted from 'here'  with adjustments) Ingredients (A) 98 gm hot water 45 gm cocoa powder 45 gm Nutella 1.1/2 tsp vanilla (B) 6 large egg yolks 45 gm caster sugar 3/4 tsp salt 75 gm vegetable oil 75 gm milk 135 gm plain flour )  Whisk and mix 15 gm cornflour     )  thoroughly (C) 6 large egg whites 90 gm caster sugar 1.1/2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice OR 3/4 tsp cream of tartar Method Mix (A) thoroughly and set aside With a ball whisk, whisk egg yolks and sugar till creamy, add in salt, oil and milk.  Add in (A) and whisk till well incorporated.  Sift in flour

This sourish and  slightly spicy chicken dish is best served with hot steaming plain white rice most welcoming on a wet and cooling day.  The addition of curry leaves enhanced the aroma of the dish and also added some colour to it.  Serve this with some crunchy greens to complete this wholesome meal. Assam/Tamarind Chicken  ~   亚参鸡 Ingredients 600 gm deboned chicken leg, cut into bite size 1 heaped Tbsp assam paste + 1 Tbsp hot water  1 tsp light soya sauce 1 tsp dark soya sauce 3 tsp sugar 1 big onion, cut into wedges 2 lemon grass crushed 1.1/2 tsp cornflour + 1 tsp water to thicken Birdeye chillies Curry leaves Method Mix the assam paste with hot water, discard the seeds.  Marinate the chicken with this paste, light and dark soya sauces with some salt for a few hours, preferably overnight which I did. Pan fry the chicken till semi-cooked (save the marinade).  Dish out. Saute the onion wedges, curry leaves, lemon grass and birdeye chillies till fragrant.  Add in the marinade, sugar a

  Kuih Bingka Beras or baked rice cake is a Nyonya kuih, a South East Asian snack.  The ingredients are simple and easily available in most household.  In Cantonese it's called 'Fei Chu Yuk' which literally translates to 'Fat Pork Belly'.  Why the name one may ask?  It's because the plain white piece of kuih with a slightly burnt top resembles a piece of fat pork belly.  I used to like this kuih when I was a kid because it's soft and full of coconut flavour.  This is my first attempt and I must say that I am very pleased with the result.  Give this recipe a try to snack on for tea or for breakfast. Kuih Bingka Beras  (White rice cake) ~   肥猪肉  (adapted from  'here' ) Ingredients 153 gm rice flour 42 gm green pea starch flour /mung bean flour 12 gm tapioca flour 400 ml coconut milk  (I used Ayam brand coconut milk) 600 ml water 150 gm sugar 1/8 tsp salt 5 pandan leaves Method Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper.  (You will get a taller kuih

This is a homey dish of preserved red bean curd (腐乳) braised with chicken and cloud ear fungus.  The preserved bean curd adds flavour to the dish while the cloud ear fungus (雲耳) absorbs all the flavours.  This dish pairs very well with plain white rice and all you need is to just add a dish of vegetables. Braised nam yue chicken with cloud ear fungus  ~  腐乳雲耳燜雞   Ingredients 480 gm whole chicken leg, cut into bite size 20 cloud ears, dried  1 pc nam yue, mashed 2 star anise 2 garlic, chopped 2 slices ginger white part of scallion 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 Tbsp light soy sauce 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce Method Soak the cloud ears till soft, stemmed and cut into smaller pieces.  Rinse to get rid of impurities. Heat oil in a wok and panfry the ginger, garlic, star anise and the white part of the scallion. Mash up the beancurd, add wine to mix. Add in the chicken and beancurd mixture and the sauces.  Add enough water to cover the chicken, let it simmer, cover with lid and co

I have posted many chiffon cake recipes in my blog and now at a loss of what other 'creations' that I should concoct to share.  Fortunately, for chiffon cakes, one can mix and match the ingredients and most of the time, the end result is acceptable and not disappointing.  So, today I'm going to share with you a Banana Cocoa Chiffon Cake with some 'dots' of chocolate chips.  As usual, chiffon cakes are light, soft, moist and will readily be enjoyed with a hot cuppa. Banana Cocoa Chiffon Cake  ~  香蕉可可雪纺蛋糕 (adapted from 'here' with adjustments) Ingredients (A) 5 'L'egg yolks 80 gm plain flour 1.1/4 Tbsp cornflour 44 gm caster sugar 50 gm vegetable oil 14 gm cocoa powder 144 gm mashed over-ripe bananas 25 gm choc chips (B) 5 'L'egg whites 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar 80 gm caster sugar Method Sift together plain flour, cornflour and cocoa powder.  Set aside. Whisk egg yolks with sugar till creamy and

Pig's trotters refer to the pig's hoofs and calves.   In  Chinese cuisine, trotters are one of the most frequently eaten parts and there are many ways of cooking them.  The trotters and pig's skin are rich in collagen, have a lower fat content and can be converted into gelatine during cooking.  It can help to prevent skin wrinkling and delays the aging process of the skin.  These braised pig trotters are moist, tender and flavourful being braised in a slightly sweet and savoury sauce.  This dish pairs very well with plain white rice. Braised Pig Trotters ~  紅燒豬手 Ingredients 800 gm pig trotters, cut into bite size 6 star anise 4 cloves of garlic with skin  3 to 4 dried chillies (soaked in hot water to hydrate) 2 ginger slices 20 gm rock sugar or piece sugar 2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce 2 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (I used rose wine) 1 small cinnamon bark white part of spring onion Method Wash the pig trotters.  P

I have never made banana bread before and when I chanced upon a video on Youtube  by Apron demonstrating how this bread is made, I was game to give it a go.  What was the deciding factor that urged me to try this recipe?   Yes, it's the oval shaped cheesecake moulds.  A friend gave me two of these cheesecake moulds and I've hardly had the opportunity to make use of them.  This Banana Bread Loaf do look very pretty baked in this mould and not only that, the bread loaf itself is soft and delicious with a hint of banana fragrance. Banana Bread Loaf  ~   香蕉面包   Ingredients 350 gm high protein flour 4 Tbsp caster sugar 1 tsp salt 2 Tbsp milk powder 1 egg about 55 gm without shell 70 ml milk 1/2 Tbsp instant dried yeast 40 gm unsalted butter, cut into cubes 100 gm mashed banana Oil or butter to brush on the loaf after baked  (I used oil) Method Sieve flour  into mixing bowl.  Add milk powder, salt, sugar, mix well with ball whisk. Add mashed b

This is a tasty, simple comfort dish that can be easily prepared at home.  The chicken is tender and the mushrooms meaty and juicy for they have been infused with the flavour of the sauce and the chicken. The same goes for the beancurd skin for by itself, they are somewhat bland in taste.   Braised Chicken with Mushrooms   ~     冬菇腐竹焖鸡       Ingredients 4 drumsticks, cut into bite size, about 400 gm 8 shitake mushrooms, soaked and stemmed 12 pieces of beancurd sticks 2 slices ginger 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 tsp light soya sauce 1/2 tsp dark soya sauce 1/8 tsp sugar 1 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water to mix 1 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp Shaoxing wine Salt to taste Method Heat up a wok with some oil and saute the ginger till fragrant. Add in the mushrooms, followed by the chicken.  Stir-fry. Add in the oyster sauce, light and dark soya sauce and enough water to cover the chicken and mushrooms.  Let it simmer.  Cover with lid, turn on medium heat and let the chicken cook till tender

  These Pumpkin Steamed Cakes are soft and moist and they can be served for breakfast or as a snack at any time of the day.  The amazing fragrance is due to the nice blend of coconut milk with brown sugar, not forgetting the wonderful taste of the slightly dense cake. Pumpkin Steamed Cake  ~   蒸南瓜蛋糕   (adapted from  'here' ) Ingredients 250 gm mashed pumpkin 1 large egg 130 ml coconut milk 110 gm light or dark brown sugar 250 gm plain flour 1.1/8 tsp yeast Method Steam the pumpkin till soft, mash it while still hot, set aside, let cool. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add in the egg, coconut milk, mashed pumpkin, sugar and yeast.  Whisk till well incorporated.  The batter is quite thick at this juncture. Cover with cling wrap or a damp muslin cloth, leave it in a warm place to prove till double in size, approximately 1 hour.   STIR THE DOUGH TO MIX IT WELL.  (This is an important step). Heat up the steamer and line the cups with cupcake liners.  Fill up the cup to 3/4 full a